scald
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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scalds,
present (3rd person singular)
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scalded,
past participle, past
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scalding
present participle
-
to burn or affect painfully with or as if with hot liquid or steam.
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to subject to the action of boiling or hot liquid.
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to heat to a temperature just short of the boiling point.
to scald milk.
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to parboil or blanch (fruit, vegetables, etc.).
verb (used without object)
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scalds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
scalded,
past participle, past
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scalding
present participle
noun
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a burn caused by the action of hot liquid or steam.
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any similar condition, especially as the result of too much heat or sunlight.
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Plant Pathology.
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a blanching of the epidermis and adjacent tissues, which turn pale or dark brown, caused by extreme heat or sun exposure.
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a condition resembling scald caused by improper conditions of growth or storage, as in apples, or by fungi, as in cranberries.
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adjective
noun
verb
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to burn or be burnt with or as if with hot liquid or steam
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(tr) to subject to the action of boiling water, esp so as to sterilize
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(tr) to heat (a liquid) almost to boiling point
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(tr) to plunge (tomatoes, peaches, etc) into boiling water briefly in order to skin them more easily
noun
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the act or result of scalding
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an abnormal condition in plants, characterized by discoloration and wrinkling of the skin of the fruits, caused by exposure to excessive sunlight, gases, etc
adjective
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scaldsimple
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scaldssimple
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have scaldedperfect
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has scaldedperfect
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am scaldingprogressive
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are scaldingprogressive
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is scaldingprogressive
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have been scaldingperfect progressive
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has been scaldingperfect progressive
Past
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scaldedsimple
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had scaldedperfect
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was scaldingprogressive
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were scaldingprogressive
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had been scaldingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scald1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb scalde(n), scolde(n), from Anglo-Latin scal(a)dāre, escaudāre, and Old French eschalder, eschauder, from Late Latin excaldāre “to wash in hot water”; see origin at ex- 1, caldarium
Origin of scald2
Explanation
You could scald yourself if your bathwater is too hot. To scald something is to burn it with hot liquid. However, if a recipe tells you to “scald the milk,” it means to heat it to the moment just before it boils. The verb scald comes from the Late Latin word excaldare, meaning “bathe in hot water.” For example, if you scald a tomato in boiling water for one minute, it will be easy to peel. In medieval times, or any era when people protected their castles by pouring hot oil from the turrets, they scalded their enemies. Nice.
Vocabulary lists containing scald
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
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Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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"There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I eat it standing, careful not to scald my tongue.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
The NHS advises to call 111 if your child has a burn or scald, and you are not sure what to do.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
When this anger boiled over, it threatened to scald more than the British.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Leo’s veterinarian said in his case file that he had been losing weight throughout the year and had urine scald, a condition the vet said couldn’t be treated in the lab setting.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 13, 2023
“You have to scald the tomatoes and then you smash them!”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
Sy Baumgartner, a 70-year-old professor of philosophy at Princeton, scalds his hand at the stove.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
Staff nurse John Davies said the burns centre saw 20-30 patients with scalds from hot water bottles every year.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2022
Taking the play in is like sipping a rarefied eau de vie, the kind that scalds as it cools.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2019
One twin falls down the crumbling stairs of her Calcutta house and breaks her ankle; the other scalds her thigh on a tipped cup of coffee in a European station.
From The New Yorker ● May 2, 2016
The day in and day out of needle pricks, scalds, and raw-skinned hands from cooking and scrubbing was wearing on me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
"He looked like he'd been scalded by hot water," the mother of three told the BBC.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2024
He worked the first three innings scoreless, allowing a scalded double to Yordan Alvarez in the first inning for the only hit.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
So McDonald's had a responsibility not to make coffee that burned you, that scalded you.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2023
So hot that you could be scalded by the first blast of sunbaked water to come out of the garden hose.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2023
A car swept by, slinging scalded air and a layer of dust.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
So even if scalding hot drinks might increase someone's risk, the chances of them developing the cancer are still low.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
We would loiter, mostly, and eat the shredded beef nachos that I still think about to this day while the plastic of our high-top Converse grilled on the scalding asphalt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The title invokes the container for holding scalding liquid metal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 29, 2026
The windows were leaky, which means big trouble in North Dakota’s frigid winters and scalding summers.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Mrs. Janssen's coffee is scalding and strong, a soothing anesthetic.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
